The Kogi State Government has announced the successful rescue of four persons abducted during an attack on an unauthorised examination centre in Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area of the state. The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, describing the rescue as the outcome of a coordinated security operation ordered by Governor Usman Ododo immediately after the incident.
The victims have been identified as Elder Daniel Iyanaa, Principal of Government Secondary School, Olowa; Mr Solomon Audu, a National Examinations Council (NECO) official; Miss Dorcas Sunday, a NECO candidate; and another female NECO candidate identified simply as Miss Dorcas, whose surname is yet to be confirmed.
According to the police, the abduction occurred on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, at about 5:25 p.m., when gunmen attacked Government Secondary School, Olowa, where students were sitting for the NECO examination. One of the five people initially seized regained freedom shortly after the attack, while the remaining four stayed in captivity until Thursday.
Fanwo said Governor Ododo directed the State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara (retd.), to coordinate a joint rescue operation involving the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, local vigilantes and other security agencies. He said troops from the 12 Brigade and the 21 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, alongside the DSS, the police and local security operatives, stormed the forest to secure the release of the victims.
The commissioner said the governor gave an update on the operation on Wednesday evening while inspecting Armoured Personnel Carriers procured by the Kogi State Government to strengthen the fight against criminality, assuring reporters that every effort was being made to secure the release of the victims. A few hours later, the victims regained their freedom, as sustained pressure on the kidnappers and the saturation of the forest by armed security personnel forced them to abandon the victims and flee.
Security operatives remain in the forest, and the operation is still ongoing. Fanwo said the government remains committed to ensuring that the perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted.
Before the rescue, the Commanding Officer of the 21 Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Godiya Monde, told reporters at the scene on Thursday that the kidnappers had established contact with the military and were being tracked, with troops sealing off suspected escape routes to stop the abductors from moving deeper into the forest.
The government had earlier disclosed that preliminary findings indicated the examination centre, located in a remote and vulnerable area, was being used as a “miracle” centre for external candidates, and that the examination arrangements did not align with the state’s security framework for the ongoing NECO examinations. The government stressed, however, that this did not diminish its responsibility to protect every resident within its borders.
Fanwo also acknowledged federal support for the operation, saying President Bola Tinubu directed the heads of security agencies to give Kogi every necessary support to rescue the victims, adding that the state was grateful for the President’s backing.
The attack in Dekina is the latest in a series of school-related abductions in the region. It comes despite recent efforts by Kogi and Benue states to strengthen security along their shared border, after the two states launched Operation Handshake Patrol last week, a joint policing initiative aimed at improving intelligence sharing and dismantling criminal hideouts.
No arrests have been announced so far. Authorities say the search for the attackers continues.
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